US Training Mission Uncertain as Afghan Withdrawal Nears End    

PENTAGON - The fate of the international effort to train Afghan national security forces has become increasingly unclear as Pentagon officials point to other priorities with only about three months left until U.S. and NATO forces complete their troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.

The Resolute Support training, advising and assisting mission, which began in January 2015, has for years aided Afghan forces in honing skills ranging from budgeting, transparency and accountability to force generation, force sustainment, intelligence and strategic communications, according to U.S. Central Command. "Recently we have been involved in all of that training, alongside our partners," a defense official told VOA. Some leaders have pushed the expectation that this training would continue outside the country following the pullout. As recently as Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement that the alliance  was "looking at how we can provide military education and training outside Afghanistan, focused on Special Operations Forces."